Letters: Voting primer

Last month the Voice of Interested People, a monthly publication in East Amwell Township, contained information on voting in primary elections that did not properly reflect the difference between Independent and Unaffiliated voters and incorrectly stated the deadline to change party affiliation. This information can affect whether or not a person is allowed to or should consider voting. Because the primary election is June 4 I felt it important to correct the misinformation.

Any New Jersey registered voter can vote in a primary election but there is a procedure to do so. If you moved here from another state or are new to voting, you should know that primaries here are the method the Republican and Democrat parties use to choose their candidates for the general election so you must be a declared member of the party in whose primary you wish to participate.

In the past there was an Independent Party here but that is no longer the case. The Independent Party will not appear on the primary or general election ballots. In order to prevent confusion, people who want to be independent of party labels are now registered as Unaffiliated.

One of the complaints voters have about general elections is that they are stuck between two candidates chosen by someone else when neither is appealing to them. This is the case when primaries are uncontested but when there are more candidates than openings, voters have an opportunity to determine who will be on the general election ballot.

Unaffiliated voters who wish to vote in the primary simply need to show up at the poles and declare whether they are taking part in the Democrat or Republican primary and can then participate in determining who will appear on the general election ballot for that party. When it comes to the general election it does not matter which party you declared at the primary; you can vote for any candidate, even one from another party.

Unaffiliated voters who vote in the primary will be listed as a member of the party in whose primary they participated. If a voter wants to remain registered to that party for next year’s primary they don’t need to do anything but if they want to change parties or go back to Unaffiliated status they can download the State of New Jersey Political Party Affiliation Form from their county government website and return it to the county clerk at least 55 days prior to the next primary election. If you wish to change back it is best to do so immediately after the primary so you do not forget. If a voter wants to switch back to unaffiliated they will be prepared for next year’s primary and be able to vote in either party’s primary. The only cost to the voter is the envelope and stamp.

This year a number of counties have contested elections so your Unaffiliated vote could change the shape of the general election.